A market analytics firm says it expects global smartphone shipments to decline this year, while another company has reported that shipments to Indonesia were Asia Pacific’s highest at 38 million units sold last year.
Local stakeholders have voiced optimistic about sales this year, but said they would also double efforts in innovation, particularly in mid-range markets, to ensure growth.
The International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts global smartphone shipments will decrease 4.7 percent from 1.89 billion units last year to 1.80 billion this year.
“The continuation of longer [smartphone] replacement cycles, a challenged China market and geopolitical headwinds will be just too much to overcome in 2019 despite the arrival of 5G and new foldable form factors,” says IDC in its Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report.
IDC’s prediction spells caution for play...